The seating position up front feels lower and more sporty than in the Insight

Rear cabin is compromised on leg and head room; it’s almost just a luggage shelf

The switchgear design incorporates all sorts of shapes; it's far from uniform

Predictably, there's a start button to get the CR-Z in motion

Boot space is 225 litres with the rear seats up; tyre toolkit sits under the floor

Hybrid system adjusts electric motor’s input depending on the mode

The Honda feels peppy - but no more than that

The entertainment value is heightened by a tuned exhaust that generates lightly encouraging noises

As with other hybrids, the fuel consumption of an equivalent diesel is only just achieved

The CR-Z serves much livelier handling when it’s pushed hard on a track

Outright grip is strong; the CR-Z pulled 0.93g on the skidpan

On price and looks alone, this car has strong appeal

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Whatever Honda bigwigs say, it’s difficult to avoid concluding that the CR-Z is a blend of both the 1999 Honda Insight and the excellent first and second-edition Honda CR-Xs. However, hybrids aren’t usually cars to quicken the blood. They’re technically impressive and sometimes generate interesting levels of torque, but they’re usually as sporty as slippers with zips.

So this Honda CR-Z hybrid is something different as a compact, 2+2 coupé whose electric motor is as much about giving its 1.5-litre petrol engine boosts of torque as it is about saving fuel. Though the latter is, of course, a major mission of the CR-Z, whose 56.5mpg combined consumption and 117g/km of CO2 emissions make it one of the most economical compact coupés on sale – in theory, at least.

Has Honda married driver appeal to the frugality and urge the CR-Z’s hybrid system should provide?

The CR-Z is part of Honda’s mission to make a massive step change in the number of hybrids it sells around the world, in company with the Civic Hybrid, the hybrid Jazz and the Insight (the latter pair share a platform with this coupé).